SNL 40: Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake Rap Their Way Through 40 Years

The SNL 40th Anniversary Special started off like you thought it might with two of its most popular modern day partners, Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. The two took the stage for the show's cold open and sang, danced and rapped their way through 40 years of SNL history (with a few special guests, of course).

With top hats and canes, BFFs Fallon and Timberlake blew through everyone in SNL years past from the very beginning to the most recent years. They, of course, included some of their own hits (including “Dick in a Box”, which went oddly uncensored, considering how heavily edited the original Digital Short was, and the “Bring It On Down” guys).

Along the way they were joined by both Debbie Downer (who reminded them that statistics show that opening a show with a musical number led to a sharp decline in ratings) and Mary Katherine Gallagher (who sniffed her armpits and let the boys in for a smell). Like every cold open, it ended with a “Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!” call, with the camera flipping to the audience to show the star-studded crowd in attendance for the SNL 40th Anniversary Special.

Considering how beloved Fallon and Timberlake are on the show (and, considering how SNL producer Lorne Michaels also produces Fallon's The Tonight Show) it was a predictable, but crowd pleasing way to start the show.